What's in the box? Boys' Birthday

For some reason it's always a struggle for me to come up with cards for boys. I tend to gravitate toward primary colors when I do them. I liked the simplicity of these images, and thought they would look good in bright colors. I'm also usually pretty cautious about embellishments on boys' cards because I don't want them to end up looking too frilly! The nice thing about the ribbon at the bottom of this card is that it has no knots or bows to make it look "girlie"--thanks to a Martha Stewart border punch.
CARD STOCK: Real Red, Glorious Green, Brilliant Blue, Only Orange, Summer Sun.
INK: Glorious Green, Brilliant Blue, Real Red, Only Orange.
STAMPS: Darling Dots, On Your Birthday.
OTHER: Happy Birthday Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (not SU!), Small Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, 1 3/8 Square Punch, 1 1/4 Square Punch, Martha Stewart Border Punch (not SU!), White Grograin Ribbon.

What's in the box? Girls' Birthday

When I looked through my book I saw that this one is nearly a year old! I must not know many *little* girls these days. Everyone is growing up on me! :) I have a serious bent toward corny puns, so I loved the "hoppy birthday" sentiment!

CARD STOCK: Pixie Pink, So Saffron, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White.

INK: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, StazOn Jet Black (I prefer this when water coloring an image)

STAMPS: Unfrogettable, Lily Pad (Wheel)

OTHER: Scallop Edge Punch, Yellow Ribbon (not SU!), Ticket Corner Punch, Gold Mini-Brads, Aqua Painter, 3M Foam Mounting Tape (not SU!)

What's in the box? Women's Birthday

I knew I wanted to use my latest acquisition--the stamp set Herb Expressions, so this card began with the stamp I wanted to use. Knowing that Thyme has a pale purple flower, I chose a pretty striped paper from the Tea Party DSP pack. The layout is from the Mojo Monday blog, MOJO114.
CARD STOCK/PAPER: Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Watercolor paper (not SU!), Tea Party DSP.
INK/MARKERS: Basic Gray, Almost Amethyst Stampin' Write Marker, Certainly Celery Stampin' Write Marker.
OTHER: Eyelet border punch, Certainly Celery ribbon
STAMPS: Herb Expressions, Perfect Pairs

What's in the box? Men's Birthday

I guess I'll begin my blog by showing you what's currently in my card box! I can tell it's going to take a little practice to take good pictures, so please bear with me! Uh, no pun intended!

CARD STOCK/PAPER: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, More Mustard

INK: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree, Wildlife Reserve, On Your Birthday, Wood Grain

OTHER: Modern Label Punch. The first time I saw that punch I thought it would make for some great "hinges"!

How I stamp

I don't stamp VERY often . . . so don't be surprised if there are several weeks between posts. I recently counted, and it looks like I make about 18 designs a year. I use rubber stamps mostly to create greeting cards. I store my cards in a box with dividers labeled as follows: Men's Birthday, Women's Birthday, Boy's Birthday, Girl's Birthday, Wedding, Anniversary, New Baby, Thanks, Get Well, Sympathy, Thinking of You, Blank Notes, and Holidays. When I stamp it's usually because I'm running low on a particular kind of card. Let's say I'm out of something. I'll look around for some inspiration . . . layouts, color combinations, a particular stamp set that I want to use, etc. Once I come up with a design, I'll stamp between 8-12 cards all the same, saving one to keep in my "book" (a photo album with samples of each of my cards). The rest go in the box under the appropriate category. So there you have it!

I think I can!

A dear friend told me that if SHE can do this, I can, too! Well, here goes. I hope to use this blog to let my friends and fellow stampers see what's going on in my little workshop!